Monday, March 30, 2009

To Quote U2- "It's a Beautiful Day."

Today I felt the surge of the new season well within me. I am energized and renewed in my focus of turning our tiny plot of land into something productive and fruitful. After three full days of rain, rain, rain and one cloudy, cold Sunday, we finally have a sunny Spring day. Warm but not too warm, perfect for getting out in the yard and chasing away the last bits of Winter brown.With my girls as my companions, I raked the leaves and pine straw up from the back yard unearthing tasty tidbits for my foraging brood. Let me just say that there were some very disgusting creatures that went down the throats of those five hens. Blecch. I am so glad I am not a chicken. I would starve.Penning the girls back up I went to the side garden where I ripped out a patch of iris, a clump of society garlic that I will plant elsewhere and raked away piles of dead, decaying leaves. I did leave some to turn into the garden, the tiny bits of leaf mould will be greatly appreciated by new plants.This year I am turning every bit of planting space into food-producing earth. If we cannot eat it, it will not go in the garden. The side garden will be for herbs- rosemary, basil, anise hyssop, lemon balm, lemon grass, oregano, cilantro, chives and the like. Years ago that is all that grew there but, after our house fire that killed them all, I did not replant, sad for their loss and waiting for another time. That time is now.Little by little the front yard is gaining new purpose. I have extended the garden area a little (and will do so every year until I have a full food-filled yard) and dumped the remnants of last years pots into the bed. It's all still good, weed-free soil and there is no sense wasting it. A water trough that I picked up at an estate sale a few years ago (for $3) now sits at the top of the garden beds. The intent is to add a coupling and attach a hose to it, cover the top with fiberglass screening held on with wire to prevent mosquitoes, etc. from taking up residence and use the water that is caught in it to water the garden. I hope it works because that trough holds a lot of water and it would certainly save some $$ and keep the hubs happy.All in all it has been a very productive day. I have my seed potatoes on the window sill sprouting tiny eyes, ready to be planted on Thursday. Seed pots made from newspaper are collecting under the bench in the family room and they will be filled with organic potting soil and tiny seeds this week. The eight windows I snuck out of my neighbor's trash pile will be attached together to make a small greenhouse for hardening off the little seedlings as they grow.Yes, it was the perfect day to be outside, breathing in the first wisps of Spring air and soaking up brilliant sunshine. I highly recommend it.

6 comments:

Such a lot of hard work deserves to be rewarded with superb crops. I love this time of clearing and planting and I am always amazed when those bare patches suddenly burst into life. Do take lots of photos to let us watch the progress.

Me too, me too! Wish I could have played outside today. I do have some cauliflower in, some teeny little eggplants, my chamomile which has tripled in size the last two weeks, and one little jalepeno pepper plant for Jack. Oh and carrots, radishes, three kinds of lettuce, and spinach are in the ground. Waiting just another week or two until the soil warms to plant the rest. Yeah! Now if it will just grow.... LOL

Karin, this was wonderful to read. I only wish there were pictures so I could really see your space. Will it be a garden for summer eating only or do you plan to grow enough to freeze or can for the winter? I love the term, society garlic - tell me more!

Nan- Ah, pictures. That would show how dismal and dreary everything is at this point. :) But they will come as things progress. Socity garlic is an edible plant that bears the sweetest purple bell-shaped flowers. The leaves and bulb do smell like garlic but the blossoms do not, they smell rather sweet. In the winter, when it dies back, it smells like skunk. Bleah. :(Jill- You are much further along than I am.

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